Just A Robot
by Heroes Fly-Minho's Hero Limps
Summary: Robots can't feel human emotions, like joy, or pain, or love. But what about the brother-like bond between Hiro and Baymax? I mean, Baymax is just a robot...right? (might be a series of one-shots; leave a request in a review, I need ideas)
1. Chapter 1

_**Just A Robot**_

__It had been another long, rather stressful day at school. Nothing had seemed to work out right, beginning with that monstrous test at the start of the day. And then, of course, the incident with a robot being sent out a three-story window. Hiro was thoroughly exhausted.

He trudged into his room and carelessly tossed his backpack to the side. It bounced off the wall with a muffled thud and slid to the floor. He ignored the ominous clatter from inside (probably his latest project, now broken because of his throwing the dang thing against a wall) and flopped down onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and blew out a long sigh. "That," he muttered, "was AWFUL."

A new noise sounded from across the room, but he paid it no attention. It was just the familiar sound of Baymax inflating and stepping from his charging station with a funny little shift of his feet. Hiro listened as the robot moved a little closer and paused, going silent for a moment as it scanned him. He was used to this by now. He sighed again and shoved his unruly, dark bangs out of his face. "What's up, Baymax?" he asked without looking up.

"You appear to be in good health," Baymax replied in his gentle, robotic voice. Somehow, he still sounded puzzled, his voice rising a pitch at the end. "Why are you lying down like that?"

"Just tired," Hiro answered. He shrugged. "Hard day at school."

"School is known to be a source of stress for many adolescents," Baymax informed Hiro at once.

Hiro rolled his eyes. "You got that right."

"Of course I did. I am a robot."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just an expression, remember?"

Silence. Then, "...are your studies causing you emotion distress, Hiro?"

Hiro wrinkled his nose at the diagnosis. "Does being tired count as 'emotional distress?'"

"You are confusing tiredness with being overwhelmed," Baymax corrected him kindly. There was another shifting noise as he cocked his head. "Are you overwhelmed, Hiro?"

Hiro finally pushed himself into a sitting position, feet dangling over the edge of his bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and glanced up at Baymax, who was standing over him questioningly. A half-smile pulled at Hiro's mouth. "Yeah," he admitted. "I guess you could say that. School's tough." The smile vanished. "Especially without Tadashi." He stared at the ground, unable to look anywhere else. "I thought he'd be there to work with me when I got in. I thought we might even make something great together, you know? I—I thought—

He broke off because at that moment, Baymax shuffled forward and wrapped him in a hug. The plushy, snow-white softness of the robot's body pressed Hiro into a brother-like embrace. He blinked. "Um...Baymax? What're you doing?"

"Emotional support from friends and loved ones is shown to help in times of stress," Baymax replied instantly. He rested his rounded chin lightly on top of Hiro's head and rubbed his back awkwardly.

Hiro let out a laugh. "Okay, well, I think I'm good now," he told the robot, bringing up his hands to push him away. "Really, Baymax, I'm okay."

Baymax allowed himself to be moved back enough to hold Hiro at arm's length and peer down at him through his button-like eyes. "You are doing very well in your work, Hiro," he droned, as though giving information and not saying something meaningful. "Tadashi would be proud of you."

Hiro stared up at him. Tadashi. His older brother, who he had looked up to forever, and who had given him this dream, and who had created this robot for him. He had never wanted to lose him and he had always wanted to make him proud. How could Baymax ever realize how much his simple words meant? He was just a robot, after all, and couldn't exactly feel emotions as a human could. He had become like a brother, a guardian to Hiro, after all this time. Tears pricked at Hiro's eyes. He struggled to blink them away.

Baymax blinked slowly. "Are you still in emotional distress, Hiro?" he asked politely.

Hiro could only hug Baymax again, and Baymax immediately returned the embrace, as he'd been programmed to do. Hiro held the robot tightly, as he would a favorite stuffed animal, burying his face in Baymax's squishy stomach. He closed his eyes. "I love you, Baymax," he mumbled.

And for the first time ever, Baymax was silent. Because he had no diagnosis, treatment, or programming for this. Because he was just a robot, and robots couldn't feel the brotherly love Hiro felt for him.

But for a second, with Hiro folded safely against him, Baymax closed his eyes.


	2. Tadashi Says Hi

Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, they were awesome. Loved the sick-Hiro idea, so here it is! Hope you like it :)

Tadashi Says Hi

Five days.

That was how long Hiro had been in bed, sick. Pneumonia, Baymax had diagnosed the first day. But it wasn't leaving, no matter what they tried to do to cure it.

Aunt Cass was losing her mind, frantically rushing from one medicine to the next, refusing to give up. Baymax did what he was programmed to do, which was comfort the patient in any way possible. And Hiro slipped between dream and wakefulness, growing worse as the days dragged on. By now, he almost longed for the end of this, for the day when he could forget the pain and maybe see Tadashi again.

But there did come a day when Hiro saw everything he would be leaving. And he chose to stay.

-o-o-o-

Voices pierced the darkness of Hiro's sleep, familiar voices he recognized. "HIRO ARE YOU SLEEPING?"

"Shut up, Fred, of course he's sleeping!"

"ANSWER ME SO THAT I KNOW YOU'RE NOT DEAD, HIRO!"

"Fred, I swear to God—"

"DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT!"

"FRED!"

Hiro heard the muffled "ow" that Fred made when the other person, GoGo, he guessed from her voice, smacked him. Of course, this triggered the rasping sound of Baymax inflating to see who was in pain. Hiro lifted a hand to his forehead, wishing for more sleep. He reluctantly pried open his eyes.

Fred, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, and GoGo were all clustered around his bed. Honey Lemon was gazing at him through wide, concerned eyes, Wasabi looked as though he might be praying, and GoGo was glaring at Fred. Her eyes flicked to Hiro for a second. "Oh great job, genius," she muttered to Fred. "You woke him up!"

Fred looked at Hiro and broke into a big grin. "Hey, Hiro!" he greeted. "What's up? Just dropped by to make sure you're not dying on us. Right, guys?"

"Death is not something to joke about!" Wasabi snapped fearfully, dark eyes flitting to Hiro as though he was afraid the fourteen-year-old would stop breathing right then.

"I wasn't joking," Fred replied in puzzlement. GoGo slapped herself on the forehead in exasperation.

By this point, Baymax had managed to shuffle his way around the group to Fred's side. Now, he took a moment to scan Fred before launching into his little speech. "I heard a sound of distress. What is the problem?"

"There is no problem," GoGo answered flatly.

Fred pointed at her accusingly. "She hit me."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?" Baymax asked politely.

"ZERO," GoGo growled.

"Ten," Fred grinned.

"Violence is never the answer to arguments between friends," Baymax informed them. He raised a finger importantly. "I suggest you embrace and make up, as humans would say."

"I take it back, my pain's at, like, negative five!" Fred yelped hurriedly.

Hiro took one look at this whole scene and couldn't stop a weak smile from surfacing on his face. He was now immensely glad his friends were here. This wild, crazy group of people were everything to him and he couldn't imagine what he'd do without their silly antics and support. And of course, there was Baymax, who had always been a special friend to him since Tadashi's death.

"You guys crack me up," Hiro remarked aloud. Every gaze swung back to him. The alarm in their eyes frightened him; they had heard the raspy croak that his voice now was and it scared them.

"Dude, your voice sounds like a strangled cat," Fred commented unhelpfully.

Hiro shrank away from them. "Sorry," he whispered. "I'm just a little...messed up right now." His throat tickled uncomfortably.

"We totally understand," Honey Lemon replied, nodding enthusiastically. "Don't worry about it, Hiro."

"Yeah, Hiro, you're gonna be fine," Wasabi added. He smiled encouragingly.

Hiro wanted to agree with them, but he couldn't. He knew that he was in bad shape. He wasn't stupid. But no one ever told him the truth; they only pitied him and hid the real reason they were all so terrified. "Thanks," he managed. His throat tickled again, but he refused to cough. Coughing hurt like a million knives carving into his chest and throat.

"You gotta get better, Hiro," GoGo said, surprising him with her gentleness. "Who's gonna help us beat up bad guys if you're not there?"

Fred pointed at Baymax with his thumb. "We always got Baymax as backup," he reminded her.

"I am not a 'backup,'" Baymax said in confusion. "I am a robot."

GoGo rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah. Great backup you got there, Fred."

The others laughed, lifting Hiro's spirits, if only for a short time.

-o-o-o-

That night, Hiro struggled to sleep while Baymax stood over him watchfully. Suddenly, his bed was much too uncomfortable. His bones ached, his mouth was dry, and it hurt to breathe. He shifted for who knew how long before finally deciding to give up. He laid limply on the sheets, staring up at the ceiling and counting each labored breath. Everything was in pain. He wanted it to go away. He wanted this to be over.

Next to him, Baymax continued to scan him, making calculations and running tests within his robotic system. What the tests and constant scanning were for, Hiro didn't know. The robot had never been this much of a guardian before, watching Hiro while he slept. Baymax never left his side all that day and was strangely quiet. It was unnerving. It was almost as though the robot was waiting for something, but Hiro couldn't figure out what it was.

Hiro sighed, his breath rattling in his lungs. "Baymax," he croaked. He turned his head slightly. Sweat slicked strands of dark hair to his forehead.

Baymax looked down at him, waiting patiently.

"It hurts," Hiro whispered. He swallowed hard, then winced at the pain.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?"

"I... Nine."

Baymax nodded, as if to himself. "Your temperature is dangerously elevated," he explained. Hiro stiffened, but Baymax was still talking. "There is a collection of fluid in your lungs, which are inflamed, and this is hindering your breathing. All are characteristic symptoms of pneumonia."

Hiro nodded slowly. "I know. You told me that—whoa!" He broke off with a painful exclamation as Baymax abruptly bent and shoved his hands underneath Hiro's back and knees. Straightening up, he scooped Hiro into his plushy arms, cradling him against himself. Hiro stared up at Baymax in shock as he was carried carefully to a different room. He glanced around in confusion and his heart sank when he recognized the room. It was his brother's. Tadashi. Baymax was silent as he sidled up beside the still-made bed. Moving gently, he laid Hiro down on top of the covers.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Hiro asked in a choked murmur.

"Tadashi was your loved one before he passed," Baymax replied. "It is important to be around loved ones during this time."

Tears burned Hiro's eyes. He sniffed and single droplet raced down his cheek, leaving a hot trail behind it. "Baymax?"

Baymax looked at him.

"Am I dying?"

Baymax was once again silent. But then he blinked. His head turned toward the doorway and then back to his patient. "I will now contact your family and friends," he droned. "They will be here shortly."

Hiro didn't want that. He forced himself to swallow and spoke again. "Baymax, am I dying?"

"...yes." Hiro choked on a sob. But Baymax was raising his hands. His palms were glowing a pale, fiery blue. Electricity hummed in the air. Through his tears, Hiro stared. Baymax watched carefully. "Your heart will stop beating shortly," he told Hiro in his usual, gentle robotic voice. "But I will bring you back." He indicated the pulsing bluish light from his palms.

Hiro remembered how he'd once jokingly said he'd had a heart attack, and how Baymax had nearly shocked him. He wanted to wipe away his tears, but found that he just couldn't lift his arm. "I'm scared," he whimpered.

"Do not be afraid," Baymax soothed, as the distant sound of shouts and footsteps pounded through the house; the others had arrived and were dashing for Hiro's room. Baymax gazed at Hiro unflinchingly. "It is a simple procedure. You will feel no pain."

Hiro wanted to cry again, but his ravaged body wouldn't let him. He inhaled another crackling breath, the fluid sitting like hard rocks in his lungs. He heard the thudding of feet on the stairs and Aunt Cass's terrified shout. Desperate, he met Baymax's gaze. "Tell them I love them," he whispered. "Just in case."

"I will." Baymax dipped his head in agreement.

"And you. I love you too, Baymax," Hiro gasped, struggling to get the words out in time.

Baymax cocked his head. Then he simply said, "we are family, now, Hiro."

It was the last thing Hiro heard.

-o-o-o-

Aunt Cass collapsed at his bedside.

Wasabi's face was a mask of tears and pain.

Fred hugged a sobbing GoGo to him.

Honey Lemon was frozen in her agony.

Baymax bowed his head.

And, in the midst of all this,

Hiro

opened

his

eyes.

The first thing he said in the following, astonished, hopeful silence was this: "Tadashi says 'hi.'"


End file.
